Signal-lantern.



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PATBNTED JULY Y18, 1905.

G. W. SMTH.

SIGNAL LANTERN.

APPLIOATION FILED MAB. 1, 1905. l

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2. y

No; 795,238. Patented fury is, 1905.

iINiTnn STnTns PATENT Oriuen.

CORNELIUS IV. SMITH, OE EAST ORANGE. NEINT JERSEY, ASSIGNOR OF ONE- THIRD TO GEORGE CAMPBELL, OF EAST ORANGE, NEWT JERSEY, AND ONE-THIRD TO EDIYIN SMITH, OF HARRISON, NEV JERSEY.

SIGNAL-LANTRN.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters PatentiNo. 795,238, dated July 18, 1905.

Application filed March l, 1905. Serial No. 247,984.

T (0U 707mm/ t "Vl/.7l 00700077 tern-top swung to one side and the movable Be it known that I, CORNELIUS IY. SMITH, a glass cylinder in a lifted position. Fig. 3 is 50 citizen 'of the United States of America, and a detail of the apparatus for attaching the a resident of East Orange, county of Essex, supporting device to the movable glass cylin- 5 and State of New Jersey, have invented cerder.

tain new and useful Improvements in Signal- Throughout the drawings like reference- Lantcrns, of which the following 1s a specitifigures indicate like parts. y 55 cation. 1 represents the standard railway-lantern,

h/Iyinvention relates generally to signal-lanin which is contained the lamp-body or oil- IO terns which are constructed t0 give alterreservoir 2, provided with any usual form of natelydiiferent colored lights from one and the burner producing a flame 3.

same structure; and, more specifically. it cont is the ordinary swinging' top for the lan- 60 sists of an improved attachment for productern, hinged at 5 to the main frame. ing such variation of color in the light, which 6 is a movable cylinder of colored glass, may be conveniently applied to the standard usually red, which is supported by the baill form of railway signal-lanterns now in use. wire 7. Preferably this cylinder 6 has its up- It is obvious, of course, that if one and the per edges 6 bent inwardly for a purpose same lantern can be indifferently used to prohereinafter to be explained. This bail-wire duce a red and a white light or a green and a may be attached to the cylinder in any conwhite light the number of lanterns necessary venient manner; but I prefer the metal clips for railroad companies to purchase and main- 8, (shown in detail in Fig. 3,) which have tain and for the brakeman to carry will be retheir upper and lower portions bent over to 70 duced one-hal f. It has heretofore been atform hooks, as shown at 8 and Sl. The bailtempted to produce lanterns which could be wire 7 is connected to a central wire 9, preferarranged to give out different colored lights, ably formed by twisting two portions of wire according to the adjustment of the apparatus; together so as to form a loop 10 at the upper but such lanterns have been complicated and end and another loop IO at the lower end. 75 costly in construction, and ithas been impos- The bail-wire 7 is inserted through the lower sible to apply the improvement to the many loop 10", and any convenient form of ring 11 3o thousands of railway signal-lanterns already may be inserted through the upper loop 10.

in use. 12 isa spring-catcli or friction device, which My invention produces a simple and ineX- normally engages the central wire 9 and by 80 pensive apparatus for bringing about the deprojecting into the spaces left between the sii-ed resultabovc setforth, and the device may twisted strands of said wire serves to hold it in be applied to the standard railway signal-lanany position of adjustment. This spring-dog terns now in use without removing or modi- 12, as shown, is riveted to the lantern-top at 13 fying any of the paits thereof, but by simply and maybe withdrawn from engagement with adding' a simple and inexpensive attachment. the signal-wire 10 by means of the projecting The preferred form of apparatus embodylug or tailpiece 14C, to which the thumb of the 40 ing my invention is illustrated in the accomoperator may be applied.

panying two sheets of drawings, in whichW Preferably I provide a sleeve 15, fastened Figure 1 is a vertical central section of the to the lantern-top t to guide and steady the 90 standard railway-lantern with my invention central supporting-wire 9. applied thereto, the movable parts of the at- Such being the construction of my inventacliinent being shown in one position in full tion, its operation is as follows: Taking the lines and in another position in dotted lines. standard lantern shown in the drawings, I in- Fig. 2 is a vertical central section at right ansert the guiding-sleeve 15 in the lantern-top 4, 95 gles to the plane of Fig. 1, showing the lantogether with the central supporting-wire 9,

and fasten the same in place by expanding the ends of said sleeve 15, as shown, or in any other convenient manner. rlhe spring-dog or friction device 12 is then applied to the lantern-top. The clips 8 are attached to the glass cylinder 6 by bending' over the ends ot' said clips, as shown at 8 and 8b in Fig. 3. The bail-wire 7 is then inserted through the loop 10 at the lower end of the central supporting-wire and its ends are bent around into engagement with the loops 16 left in the upper ends of'the clips 8. This leaves the parts in the position shown in Fig. 2. W' hen the lantern-top is swung' down into the normal position, the parts are broug'ht into the position shown in full lines in Fig. 1. In such position the lantern gives the usual white light when it is lighted. VI'f it is desired to signal with the red light, the operator merely seizes the ring 11 and pulls the parts up into the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1. It is then evident that all the light-rays which can escape under the lower skirt oi' the lanterntop must pass through the colored glass of the cylinder 6, as indicated by the broken lines 2O 2O in Fig. 1. The purpose et' the inwardly-bent cdg'es 6 of the colored-g'lass cylinder 6 is to secure this intercejiting of all the escaping rays ot' light by the colored-glass cylinder when in raised position without extending the amplitude of vertical motion ot' said colored-glass cylinder. It is evident that the diameter of the glass cylinder and its limit of vertical motion are iiXed by the proportions of the standard lantern shown in the drawings. It is also evident that it' the glass cylinder 6 were continued up in a straight line without its upper edges being' bent inwardly it would notintereept all the light-rays, even in its highest position, supposing that its height were the same as here shown. vl t is obviously impossible to increase the height of the movable glass cylinder without having its upper edges intercept a portion of the lightrays when the glass is in its lowermost position. By bending inwardly the upper edges of the glass'cylinder I am enabled to solve this diiiiculty and to intercept all ot' the lightrays when the glass cylinder is in its highest position, to intercept none of them when the cylinder is in its lowest position, and to secure these results with the limited amount et' motion possible in the standard lantern construction.

Referring tothe above-described method of assembling the parts, of course this may be varied and the glass cylinder, bail-wire, and the central supporting-wire assembled and all inserted in the lantern at once by pushing the central wire up through the guiding-sleeve and afterward attaching the lifting-ring 11.

Vlt is evident that in the case of breakage or getting out ol" adjustment of any ol2 the parts the same may be easily removed by reversing' the series of steps by which they were introduced into the lamp.

The advantages of my invention comprise its simplicity and small cost, the ease with which it may be attached to the lanterns now in use, its complete changing of the character oi' the light given off by the lantern without modifying in any detail the parts ot' the lantern as now made, and the ease with which all parts may be removed for replacement or repair. It is evident, o't' course, that various changes could be made in the details of the apparatus shown in the drawings without departing from the spirit and scope ot' my invention. Other t'orms of supporting and attaching' wires might be employed, other means 'lor trictionally supporting the parts in their adjusted position might be substituted, the guiding-sleeve 15 might be dispensed with, or other guiding` means substituted. These and similar chang'es in construction I should consider mere mechanical modilications of my invention and still within the limits thereof.

1n order that the 't'ull supply of air necessary to maintain the flame may be supplied to the burner when the lantern is swung violently, I provide means for admitting air to the inside et' cylinder 6 below burner producing the flame 3. Preferably I provide openings 21 21 in the bottom ol the lantern, which extend inside of the cylinder 6.

Having therefore described my invention, what ll claim as new, and desire to protect by Letters Patent, is-- 1. YIn a lantern, the combination of a movable cylinder oi: colored glass adapted to lit down about the lamp-body or to be raised about the liamc, a vertically-movable plunger extending' down through the lantern-top, a guiding-sleeve fixed inside the lantern-top in which said plunger moves, means Vlor suspending the cylinder otl colored glass Vfrom said plunger and a yielding device for holding the plunger and cylinder in their elevated positions of adjustment.

2. In a lantern provided with a swinging top the combination of a movable cylinder ot' colored glass adapted to lit down about the lamp-body or to be raised about the flame, and means Vfor moving said cylinder of glass eX- tendingdownward through the swinging lantern-top, said supporting means comprising a wire extending centrally through the lanterntop, and a bail-wire loosely jointed to the lower end et' the central wire and connected to the glass cylinder at either side.

3. In a lantern the combination ol a inevable cylinder or' colored glass adapted to {it down about the lamp-body or to be raised about the llame, and means t'or moving said cylinder of glass extending downward through the lantern-top, said supporting' means comprising a wire extending centrally through the lantern-top, and a bail-wire jointed to the ICO ros

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lower end of the Central Wire and Connected to the glass cylinder at either side, a guidingsleeve set in the lantern-top for said central wire, and a friction device for holding the central Wire in any position of adjustment.

4. In a lantern provided with a hinged top, the combination of a movable cylinder oi' colored glass adapted to tit down about the lampbod y, or to be raised about the flame, and means for moving said cylinder of glass eX- tending downward through the hinged top, said supporting means comprising a Wire eX- tending centrally through the hinged lanterntop, and a bail- Wire loosely jointed to the lower end of the central wire and connected to the glass cylinder at either side by Clips embracing the glass ring.

Signed at New York, N. Y., this 28th day of January, 1905.

CORNELIUS WV. SMITH.

Witnesses:

J. E. PEARSON, M. Gr. CRAWFORD. 

